In the field of electronics manufacturing, it is known to use ribbons of fine, braided material, such as copper, which may be flux-coated, to capture and remove unwanted solder. For example, when circuit components, such as a transistor or a capacitor, fail or are no longer to be used as part of the circuitry, they may be removed by melting the solder that holds them in place. This may leave a quantity of solder that must be removed also if operations of the circuit are not to be compromised or impaired. Similarly, when such components are soldered to a printed circuit board, excess solder may accumulate in the region where the component lead is attached to the board surface. Similarly, bits of solder may have become deposited on the board surface as a result of spattering or dripping. Left unremoved, such unwanted solder can cause the circuit to malfunction or produce other undesirable results. The ribbon that is used for this purpose is sometimes referred to as "Desoldering Braid". In use, the ribbon is positioned atop or beside the solder that is to be removed. The solder and the ribbon are then heated until the solder is in a fluid state. At that point, the solder floods into the interstices of the braid where it is captured and held. The ribbon is removed from the site, the solder in the ribbon is permitted to harden, and the solder-laden part of the ribbon is cut off. In this connection, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos 3,267,191 (Hood, Jr.); 3,715,797 (Jackson et al); 3,726,464 (Howell et al); and 4,078,714, 4,164,606, and 4,323,631 (Spirig); and the references cited in each of the foregoing.
Various attempts have been made to package such ribbon material and to facilitate its use (e.g., see Howell et al U.S. Pat No. 3,726,464). However, such prior art attempts have draw backs and do not resolve long-standing needs as does the present invention. Included among them is a need for desoldering braid apparatus that can be used effectively while the other several hand-operations that usually attend the use of such materials are carried out (e.g., holding the braid strip; holding a soldering iron, torch, or other heat source; manipulating braid cutters; etc.) so as to make the use of such materials and apparatus easier and more efficient. Additionally, contamination of the braid from the operator's fingers if the operator has to hold the braid strip can result in poor solder joints. Further, there is the possibility of burning the fingers if they are held close to the heated areas. There is also the disadvantage of wasting braid because of lacking or inconsistent control of cutting techniques.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for use in utilizing desoldering-braid material.
Another object is to provide such apparatus to facilitate the containing, positioning, dispensing, retrieving, and/or severing of desoldering braid material.
Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for utilizing desoldering braid with one hand so as to free the other hand to carry out collateral operations.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide such apparatus adapted to receive cassettes or other packages of desoldering braid.